The first batch of BN(O) visas to be opened at the end of January 2021 will be exactly five years old this year (2026). The most common question I receive backstage these days is not "Should I take the Life in the UK exam?" but -
"I came to the UK to study in 2018. I changed my work permit in the middle and then transferred to BNO in 2021. Can my previous years be counted into the five years of permanent residence?"
The answer to this question is very divided: some visas can be combined for , and some do not count as for one day. If you make a mistake, you may submit your application one or two years in advance, only to be rejected without refund.
Is BNO permanent residence still a 5-year path?
yes. The settlement requirement for the BN(O) route is still that has lived in the UK for 5 consecutive years . The earliest submission can be , 28 days before the five years ago.
The "10-year permanent residence" (earned settlement) program that everyone is nervous about started a public consultation on November 20 last year and ended on February 12 this year. More than 200,000 responses were received, which is the largest scale in the history of British immigration. The government made it clear in its parliamentary response: BN(O) holders retain the five-year path - technically giving BN(O) a five-year reduction on a 10-year basis, but the result is still five years.
A word of caution: reductions and exemptions do not stack. If you qualify for both "English level C1 minus one year" and "BN(O) minus five years", only the largest one will be taken, not six years minus. The new system has not yet been implemented as of the time of writing this article. Everything is subject to the official announcement of GOV.UK.
Which visa periods can be combined with the 5 years of BNO permanent residence?
There is only one core rule: other "visas leading to permanent residence" time you hold in the UK can be counted, but the last period of status must be BN(O).
Typical ones that can be counted are: Skilled Worker work visa, spouse/partner visa, Global Talent, Innovator Founder and other routes that can lead to ILR by themselves. For example - if you hold a work permit from 2022 to 2024 and transfer to BN(O) in 2024, those two years of work permit time can be combined, which is equivalent to reaching the permanent residence threshold two years in advance.
Why do student visas and YMS not count towards the permanent residence period?
Because they are not themselves routes to settlement. No matter how long you stay on the Student visa and Youth Mobility Scheme, one day will not count towards the five years of BN(O). I stayed for two years after finishing my master's degree and played YMS for two years. These four years are equal to zero in front of ILR - many people only discover this when preparing materials.
There is another category that is easy to step on: between 2020 and 2021, some BN(O) identity holders obtained "Leave Outside the Rules (LOTR)" at the border and entered the country. This period is also not included in the five-year period. The clock really starts to tick when you are officially approved for the BN(O) visa.
Three things you must check yourself before BNO permanent residence
① Number of days out of the country. must not leave the UK for more than 180 days within any rolling 12-month period. Note that it is "any 12 months" and is not divided according to the visa year - when you return to Hong Kong to take care of your family for two or three months, plus traveling for Christmas, it is easy to exceed the limit within a certain rolling range.
② Language and Life in the UK. The vast majority of ILR applications require passing Life in the UK Test and reaching English B1 (listening, speaking, reading and writing) levels. There is a waiting list for exam spots in some cities, so don’t wait until the last month to make an appointment.
③ Cost budget. The application fee for ILR will be £3,226 per person from April 8, 2026, and children must pay the full amount separately; Life in the UK Test is £50; expedited Priority is about £500, and Super Priority is about £1,000. The application fee for a family of three starts at 10,000 pounds. Please refer to the announcement of GOV.UK for the specific amount on that day.
Getting ILR is not the end. After living in the UK for another 12 months, you can consider applying for naturalization - this step also has its own set of requirements for the number of days spent abroad, and it is recommended to start recording one year in advance.
If your experience is complicated (you have changed several visas, had a break in the process, or are not sure how to handle the LOTR period), organizing your entry and exit records into a timetable is a hundred times better than relying on memory. If you can't figure it out, you can use 永居计算器 to calculate it to the sky; if you're not sure about the legal definition, you can click on the menu bar at the bottom of this official account to find the lawyer consultation entrance.
📌 This article is for reference only. Please consult a licensed attorney for specific questions.
[Data source] GOV.UK "British National (Overseas) visa — Settle in the UK" page; Home Office "Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route" official guide (April 2026 version); GOV.UK Immigration and Nationality Fee Schedule (effective from April 8, 2026).
💬 Let’s chat in the comment area: What other visas did you hold before or after coming to the UK? Is there a time when you’re still not sure whether it counts as five years? Tell us about your timeline, and we’ll pick a typical one and break it down in a follow-up article.
If you find it useful, bookmark this article and read it out again when you are ready to submit ILR.
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